The Dealer's hand
by mrwriter1701
Summary: Tempus. Las Vegas Crossover. Sequel to Double the Stakes. Ed Deline calls in his old friend when a murder is commited in the Montecito by the Dealer


The Dealer's Hand

Teaser

The morning sun rose over Las Vegas, and to Danny McCoy it felt like just another wonderful day as he walked through the entrance door of the Montecito Hotel. He walked quickly through the slot machines and headed for the door to the service corridors, when he spotted Sam Marquez talking on her cell phone. She waved at him with a gesture that seemed to indicate something important, and he changed his course.

Sam was finishing up her call, and held up her finger to indicate that he should wait.

"No…no, I have not heard any news from Mr. Sonderman, Sir…if I hear anything, you would be the first person I'd call. I promise. Yes, thank you. Bu-buy!"

She hung up and looked up at Danny, who had a broad "it's a great day" grin on his face.

"Wipe that grin off, mister. We have a problem!"

"What? Sonderman eating up all the caviar? I heard he ordered 6 plates last night…before midnight."

"More serious than that. Because he hasn't shown up in the casino today."

"So?"

"So I have 3 poker players that I managed to lure here, promising them that they would get to play Steve Sonderman. I used up my last favor with Chris Moneymaker to make him come. And now, Sonderman is a no-show."

"He's probably just sleeping in."

"Well, he's not sleeping in when I have everything ready for him here! Do me a favor and go up and get his butt down here, pronto!"

"But I haven't even checked in yet,…"Danny objected.

"Do it afterwards! If you do this, I will be eternally grateful and provide you with willing sex slaves for three years."

"Aren't you supposed to offer YOURSELF as a sex slave?"

"I'm a casino host. Not a prostitute. Although in this town God knows the distance is shorter than you think. Just do it, okay?"

"I'll check on him" Danny promised, and headed for the elevators.

"Mr. Sonderman…it's Danny McCoy. I'm with the Montecito. Sam tells me you have a poker date downstairs…"

Danny knocked, waited and then knocked again.

"Mr. Sonderman?"

There was no answer from behind the door, and Danny pulled out his cell phone. He punched the speed dial for the surveillance room.

"Mike Cannon"

"Mike, it's Danny. Run a check for me of room 3745. Can you see if the guy left at any point since midnight?"

"Hang on…" Mike punched a few keys on his keyboard, and a video flickered across his screen.

"Nope, the guy haven't opened the door since the room service brought him something around 12.40 AM. He should still be in there, unless it's Spiderman we have in there."

"Don't think so. I'm going to go in and check on him."

Danny hung up and pulled out his master keycard. He inserted it into the lock and it clicked. The door opened, revealing one of the Montecito's luxury suites. Danny walked in, slowly.

"Mr. Sonderman? It's hotel security…are you all right?"

Danny listened for the sound of a toilet flushing or a shower, even snoring – anything that could explain why the man who Time had called "America's richest bachelor" was not answering. But he heard nothing – the room was as quiet as only a Las Vegas hotel room on the high floors can be.

Danny walked through the living room, and peaked around the corner of the open bedroom door. He only peaked for a moment – then he took a full step, and put his hand over his mouth.

"Aw, jeez!"

Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and punched the dial marked "Ed".

Ed Deline walked into the suite, followed by Cat Horton, who had just come in for work. As the casino's newly hired security expert, she was an obvious choice to help with the investigation – but as a girl he was very attracted to, Danny found it slightly disturbing that she should be here.

"What's the deal?" Ed asked, "what's so important that you could not say it over the cell?"

"I think you will understand when you see him", Danny said and pointed over his shoulder towards the bedroom.

Ed walked a couple of steps closer, and then stopped. "Aw, fuck!" he mumbled.

Kat walked on his heels, and she took everything in, her mind still functioning as an Interpol agent.

The room was tussled slightly, as if someone had held a pillow fight – but not enough that you would think someone had fought for their life. On the nightstand stood a tray with caviar and toast on it, some of which had clearly been eaten. A carafe of wine and a glass stood next to it. The glass was empty, but had been used.

On the bed, dressed in pajamas and dressing gown was Steve Sonderman. He was on his back, eyes staring up into the ceiling. His hands were clenched into fists, and his eyes were bloodshot – a safe sign of strangulation. Blood had trickled from one of his fists, as if he had cut himself, or the nails had cut the skin. And on his chest was something that Cat recognized all to well.

She walked closer to the body, and leaned over to make sure.

"What…is that, Cat?" Ed asked.

"It's a Tarot card. Rider Waite series, it's the card called "The wheel of fortune". Amongst other things, it's a symbol of luck and games."

"So…who the hell would put that there? Do you think this is some kind of cult suicide? Gamblers anonymous' suicide squad?"

"I don't think so. I'm betting that if you open his mouth, you will find a piece of holy wafer or something similar."

"Holy wafer?" Danny looked puzzled.

Cat gently took the hand that was stained with blood and gently tried to get the fingers apart.

"Cat…maybe you shouldn't be…" Danny said, but Ed waived his hand dismissively. In this town, breaking the chain of evidence was not something he was overly concerned of. As far as he was concerned, when things happened his hotel, he was the supreme authority.

Cat opened the hand, and a small silver cross slid out and struck the sheet.

"I knew that. I'm betting that he used to wear this."

"Yeah…Sonderman was very religious. How did you know this stuff?"

"Because this is how the last pope was killed."

"Killed? I saw on the news that he died of a stroke" Ed said, "and I'm sure I would have heard otherwise if…"

"No, you wouldn't. Because only a select few knows about that. And that Tarot card…the people who held me captive in Rome…they worked for someone who used cards like that as symbols when people died. A person called The Dealer."

Cat turned around and looked Ed in the eyes.

"I think I know who we need to call, Ed."

1.

As Jim Corrigan stepped out of the Montecito's private jet, he held his hand up to cover his eyes and saw Cat and Danny standing next to a limousine parked at the edge of the runway.

He straightened up and began walking down the steps, as Mercedes came out behind him and almost made him deaf with the shriek she made when she saw her friend.

Herbert, following right behind her, lifted her suitcase in one hand and his own in the other. He felt the heat from the desert wash through the open door of the airplane and could already feel the sweat forming on his forehead.

Father Christopher, who had come straight from the mission where he spent a lot of his time, was still wearing the black suit and white collar of the Catholic Church. On his last visit to Las Vegas, Christopher had worn civilian clothes, so not to draw attention, but this time there had been no time for such considerations.

Cat stretched out her arms and embraced Mercedes, as she pushed past Jim and ran to her friend. Jim, walking behind Mercedes, also hugged Cat and then shook hands with Danny.

"Welcome, Mr. Corrigan" Danny said, smiling broadly, "I hope you had a good trip down here?"

"Let me se…private jet, limousine…and we have a murder investigation to think about while in flight. Yep, that makes it a good trip in my book."

As Herbert reached the foot of the stairs, Andrew came out of the airplane, and leaned back to talk with someone behind him. Then, a black haired girl in tight black jeans and a black top came out, adjusting her sunglasses.

Danny looked curiously at her. "Who's that?"

Cat answered with a voice that was slightly chilled.

"That's the girl that broke into the Vatican while I was in the hospital. The one that worked for the Dealer. She's called Rhea."

Danny's eyes widened. "She works for the Dealer? Then why is…?"

"Because she wasn't exactly a willing worker, Mr. McCoy. And because we have helped her, and I thought it would be good to bring someone along who has at least a passing knowledge of the person we are up against. Do you have a problem with it?"

Jim had taken off his sunglasses, and was now looking Danny straight in the eye.

"No…not at all." Danny shook his head, and could not help looking at Rhea, as she walked towards the Limo.

Last of all, Feline and Quinn exited the plane. The jewels on Feline's collar sparkled in the sharp sunlight, and Quinn winced as the light cut into his eyes. They made their way to the rest of the group and shook hands with Danny and Cat, as they introduced themselves. They were still newcomers to the team, and had not met Danny before.

"Well, if you will all get in, we will take you up to the Montecito" Cat said, "Ed's very anxious to talk to you. We kept the police out of the place as much as we could, but of course they had to go through the suite. We managed to hold on to the card they found, as well as the thing they found in his mouth.

"Was it a wafer? Like the Pope?" Andrew asked.

"No. It was a 100 dollar poker chip."

"Jim!" Ed said, as Cat led them into the surveillance room. Ed, who had been standing bent over a monitor, straightened his back and walked to meet them.

"Ed. Good to see you."

The two men shook hands, and Ed nodded towards his office. Then, he continued in a very low tone of voice:

"As I am sure you understand, this is a very sensitive topic. So I have to ask you if you can trust your entire group to keep this under wraps until further notice?"

"Of course we can!" Feline, who had very keen hearing, responded.

Jim smiled. "I guess she pretty much said it. Naturally, we extend a full code of silence to your case, Ed. Just like we do all the other cases we handle."

"Good. Then step up into my office, and I'll lay out the details of the case for you."

Jim walked after Ed into the office, followed by Andrew, Herbert, Mercedes, Quinn and Feline. Rhea, who had hovered in the back of the group, had just begun to head for the steps to the office, when a brown hand grabbed her arm. She turned her head and looked into Mike's face.

"Hold on a second, miss." Mike said, loud enough that Ed turned his head.

"Is there a problem?" Ed asked.

"Well…it's just…we ran facial recognition on them all when they walked onto hotel property…standard thing…and then all the red flags went up."

"What red flags?" Ed walked back down the steps and grabbed the printout Mike held in his other hand.

"Let me save you the trouble of looking, Mr. Deline", Rhea said, her voice soft and calm, "it most likely says that Rhea Weston, alias Lilah Thompson alias Allison Melby plus maybe a few more names is wanted for questioning in several international thefts. It probably also says that I am suspect of several other crimes, but that there never was enough evidence to put me behind bars. Current whereabouts unknown. Am I about right?"

"Um…yeah…pretty close" Mike said, and could not help smiling at her.

"Ed", Jim said, "Rhea is one of the only people who has any knowledge of the Dealer. She has had more…pardon the pun…dealings with him, than any other we could dig up. And she has agreed to help us."

"I see." Ed scanned the paper and his brow furrowed, but then smoothed out again as he looked up at Rhea. "I wish I could say that I trust Jim's judgment, but I'm sure you understand when I say that I hope you are not here on business."

"The only business I have is the one you asked me here for, Mr. Deline. Should we get one with it? The sooner we do, the sooner I'll be out of your hair."

Rhea walked into the office with her head held high, but Jim knew her well enough to tell that she was not nearly as cool as she appeared to be. Since the Tempus team had liberated her mother from the clutches of Houndslow, the Dealer's vampire henchman, she had stayed at the Convergence club's special apartments and kept on the right side of the law. Houndslow, who had experimented on Rhea when she had only been a little girl, had been made into a stone statue that now stood in the back yard of the Tempus house, and Rhea's mother had been improving greatly since she had been brought home. Still, Jim was sure that Rhea was hurt to be considered a criminal. As far as she had been concerned, what she had done had been keeping her brothers and mother alive, using the powers she had been born with and doing whatever needed doing. Besides, as Jim only knew too well – when you had special powers, you quickly began feeling detached from the so-called 'normal people', and began taking chances and running risks you otherwise would not have done. He hoped that Rhea felt more at home in his and his friends' company as time passed – not the least since he was still so attracted to her that he sometimes could think of nothing else.

Ed sat down behind his desk, and nodded to Danny, who pushed a button on the door. Shutters began closing over the large windows, sealing them inside a soundproof sanctuary.

"All right – here is what we know", Ed said, and put a small stack of photos down on the table.

"Steve Sonderman, age 35, well-known playboy and millionaire. Came to Vegas 3 or 4 times a year, and this year Sam finally lured him away from the Mandalay Bay and to the Montecito. Just in time to die here."

Andrew picked up the pictures and began examining them. Sure enough, the clenched fist was the same as the Pope's, when he had examined him.

"Now, most of the world knows this guy as kind of a Bruce Wayne without the Batman part. Playboy, massive spender, irresponsible…the works. However, when we started digging a little bit…we came up with something surprising."

Cat handed Ed a file, and he opened it.

"The Wish foundation in USA, Cancer research in Cambodia and Thailand, medicinal funds to help prevent epidemics and mutations in Africa…the list goes on and on. Apparently, Sonderman had a thing for charity that he didn't brag about. His newest investment was 40 million dollars into a center to do research into diseases like Ebola and other philo-virus."

"Wow…" Mercedes said, her eyes shining, "He was like the good Samaritan."

"For the whole world, apparently." Christopher agreed.

"So why would anyone want to kill a man like that?" Feline said.

"Someone who doesn't want people to be helped, I suppose" Herbert said thoughtfully.

"Well, that or the Dealer just played poker with Sonderman, lost and was pissed about it" Andrew said.

"What else do you know?" Jim asked, leaning in to get a better look at the papers.

"The murder was committed in a closed room" Danny explained, "We checked the tapes and nobody went in since the maid delivered the caviar."

"Poisoned caviar?" Quinn suggested.

"We checked it. It's clean" Cat responded.

"From all we can tell, Sonderman died of asphyxiation, but there are no marks on his neck. It's like he just…decided to stop breathing" Danny said.

"Or someone decided it for him." Rhea commented dryly.

"The first we need to find out is how the killer got into the room, and how the hell he killed Sonderman. Then, we need to find him – with any luck he is not far away. The murder was committed some time between 12 AM and 8 AM. It's now 2 PM – if we move fast, we might catch the guy before he leaves town."

"He could have left right away", Herbert argued, "Why would you want to hang around?"

"Because he probably feels invulnerable" Rhea said, "He thinks he has committed the perfect crime, and if you feel like that, you like to hang around and see them try to solve the impossible." She smiled dryly. "Believe me – I know."

"In that case, let's get to it." Jim got up. "Andrew – you and that Cannon-guy worked well together last time – why don't you see what you can dig up. Cat, why don't you show Herbert and me the suite – maybe we can find something. Mr. McCoy…"

"Call me Danny, please."

"Danny, then – do you have any contacts in this town you can draw on? And I mean contacts of the more supernatural kind? I think we can all agree that it takes more than Joe Regular to commit this crime."

"I might know a few places, yeah."

"Good. Then you and Rhea go there and see what you can find out."

"What about me?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't think we'll need you right away, honey…why don't you and Feline get our bags and take them to our rooms and then show her the city?"

"I'm sure Sam would be glad to see you again", Cat said with a smile.

"Well…fine…but you guys really don't need to protect me, you know!" Mercedes said with a slight tone of resentment in her voice.

"And us?" Quinn said and pointed to himself and Christopher.

"You should help me, Quinn" Andrew said. "I might need a sharp eye like yours."

"And you should come with us, Vaughan" Jim said. "If this murder has some sort of religious overtones, you might be able to see or sense something the rest of us can't."

Ed nodded, and Danny once again pushed the button. Ed put the folder and pictures in his desk drawer, and got up, as the blinds rolled up again.

Outside the blinds, Mary Connell stood waiting with a clipboard under her arm and a concerned look on her face. As soon as Ed opened the door, she walked up and looked at him, her eyes serious.

"Ed – I have to talk to you. We've got a major problem."

"I know. That's why we called in Jim and his team here."

"No, I mean a real problem. We're missing a priest."

Ed's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, missing?"

"I mean that the big wedding convention that starts in two hours doesn't have a priest to marry all these people. The guy we had booked got food poisoning in a restaurant on the strip last night, and can't make it."

"Well…isn't there another priest in this town? Last time I checked there were more than 400 wedding chapels here."

Mary nodded. "There are. But they are all booked for the time, on vacation, or simply unwilling to do a convention. The closest thing I could rustle up was a Rabbi who is on vacation from Des Moines. And I have an idea that the wedding guests would be a little surprised to see Rabbi Moshel performing the ceremony..."

"Maybe I can be of assistance, Miss Connell?" Father Christopher asked, taking a step forward. "I am in town on other business, naturally, but it would be a great pleasure to help you."

Cat raised her hand, knowing that there was more to the story than Mary was saying. "Father, I don't think you quite realize…"

"I'm sure I can handle a big wedding. It is one of the best parts of the job."

Mary's face brightened. "Would you? It would be a tremendous help, Father."

"Of course I will. Where and when?"

"You need to come with me straight away, so we can get started. Come on!"

She waved Christopher after her, and began walking away, heels clicking on the floor.

The rest of the team saw Christopher hurry after her, pausing only long enough to sling his bag over his shoulder.

Danny exhaled, and patted Cat's shoulder. "Okay – let's get going."

Cat nodded. "Take care out there. It's not the best clientele you guys need to talk to."

"I will. And I can handle myself."

"I know, I just…."

Danny smiled and headed out the door, followed by Rhea. Cat turned towards Jim and Herbert.

"You guys follow me upstairs. Andrew and Quinn, Mike is sitting over by the screens – you can get started whenever you are ready. Mercedes and Feline, if you go out to the VIP check-in counter and say you're Ed's guests, they'll show you the rooms. And if you want to find Sam, I think she is still out on the floor."

Mercedes nodded, and she and Feline headed towards the entrance. Jim, Herbert and Cat went for the elevators.

2.

Cat opened the door to the suite, and looked around to check that everything was as they had left it. The Las Vegas Police had long gone, and she had ordered the room locked down until further notice.

Herbert walked slowly through the living room, trying to feel some sort of magical traces, while Jim headed for the bedroom.

"They took the body to the morgue, of course", Cat said, following Jim, "But we've got photos and the autopsy report will be sent to us as soon as they have it ready. Ed pulled a few strings."

Jim let his hand slide over the crumpled sheets, trying if his immortal's sixth sense would let him know anything. Nothing came.

"Did you check for fingerprints on the glass?" he asked, nodding to the used wine glass on the nightstand.

"Yep – nothing but Sonderman's own. And the caviar also looks like only one person took from it. It's only marked by the spoon in one place."

"Besides" Herbert said, joining them, "That stuff is so salty that I doubt anyone could eat it and not drink with it. So I think it's safe to say he ate alone."

"So what happened?" Jim said, getting to his feet, and began walking back and forth in the bedroom. "Sonderman calls for caviar and wine and gets it. He is fine when he receives it, and he has time to drink at least half a glass of wine and eat a plateful. Then, what happens?"

"He was obviously eating in here" Herbert said, "There are no traces of food in the living room. Maybe he was even eating in bed."

"Probably. No chairs have been bulled back. He was eating, and then, something or someone came into the room, without opening the door or window."

"The windows doesn't even open this high up" Cat commented. "Just the balcony door. We're 25 stories high, and the front of the Montecito is smooth glass. Someone mentioned that Spiderman might have killed him."

"Hmm…"Jim mused, "it could be someone that can walk through walls…some demon that could make itself intangible."

"No demons entered the Montecito last night. We have 24 hour surveillance which is, to be modest, among the best in the world. Any supernatural creature that walks onto the grounds sets off lots of alarms. Just see when you guys walked in – Mike knew instantly who and what you were."

Herbert nodded. "All right, no demon. So it would have to be a human being. A girl that can walk through walls."

"You've been watching too much X-men, Herbert." Jim said.

"Not exactly. Jim, I hate to make this point, but…do you see the possible ties to our earlier cases here?"

Jim's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we in this hotel right now have a girl who can walk through walls. Or rather, teleport through them. A girl that has been involved with the Dealer before. A girl that has every skill needed to get into the Montecito, kill this guy and get out before anyone noticed her."

Jim looked Herbert straight in the eyes. His face got the look of a thundercloud about to spew lightning bolts.

"If you are making the point I think you're making, you'd better make sure you have an exact count of your teeth, because…."

"Come on, Jim. Someone has to say this! Whatever you and Rhea have or don't have is not my business, but you can't afford to be blinded right now. I'm not saying she is a prime suspect, only that we have to keep her in mind. We need to remember that she has given us absolutely no reason to trust her."

"We helped her. Got her out of The Dealer's clutches. Saved her mom. I'd say that should make her part of us."

"No, it doesn't Jim. It makes her a person that the Dealer could have put in our midst to keep an eye on us. Just…just think about it, okay?"

Jim didn't answer, but turned around and walked to the balcony.

Cat looked at Herbert, her eyes questioning.

"Jim and that Rhea-girl…are they dating?"

"I don't know what they are. I just know that Jim is not exactly objective when it comes to her."

"So, what is the deal with you and this Cat chick?" Rhea asked, as Danny's small, yellow sports car drove down the Strip.

Danny turned his head and looked at her. "What…what do you mean?"

"I mean what's the deal? Are you guys involved or exes?"

"How do you…?"

"I made my living for a long time on the wrong side of the law. A good portion of psychology is a healthy thing to have if you want to survive. And it's obvious to me that there's something between you guys. So, do tell."

Danny cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well…we had…something. It started as a fling, I guess, and…then it grew. Then, of course she found out that she was actually Ed's daughter, and…"

Rhea held up her hand. "Ed? As in that Deline guy? His daughter?"

"Yes. She had been taken at birth or something – they aren't talking much about it, and it's one of those things where everybody is on a need to know basis."

"I know those. What do you mean taken at birth?"

"Again, I don't know much. Ed and his wife were told she died at birth, but she was shipped off to England and placed with another family. Then, they died and she had traumas for years. Then, we found out something about her adoptive parent's deaths and she came here. Ed found out she was his daughter, and offered her a job. She lives with Ed and his wife now – and Delinda."

"Delinda?"

"Ed's other daughter. She runs Mystique, our nightclub."

"And you used to be involved with her too?"

"How the hell did you know?" Danny turned his head and looked at her surprised.

"I didn't, but you just told me. It was in your voice…and of course in your reaction. So, you have a thing for Deline girls – what now?"

"Now we're just friends."

Rhea smiled. "Yeah, right. And I make my money by selling mail order Winnie the Pooh picture books."

Danny grinned. "Okay…maybe just a little more than friends."

"Take it from a girl who is used to guys looking after her. She likes you, Danny. That's clear as day to me."

Danny turned away from the strip, and into the backstreets. He made a series of brief turns and parked the car in front of a seedy looking bar, called the Snake's Head.

"This is the place. This is where you go if you need things – drugs, hitmen, you name it. And of course, the more…exotic guests of Las Vegas also like to hang out here."

"And by exotic, you mean demons, wizards…that sort of thing?"

"Exactly. Shall we?"

Danny got out of the car and Rhea followed him into the smoke filled room, dimly lit by red lights along the wall.

A long bar dominated the room, and along it sat a mix of humans and demons. Small tables filled the rest of the room, with the exception of a gambling corner filled with slot machines and a small dance floor. Danny kept his eyes straight and walked through the crowd, to a table close to the slot machines. A small oriental man sat at the table, a glass with a blue liquid in his hand. His eyes widened when he saw Danny and Rhea in front of him. Then his face split in a broad smile.

"Danny…good to see you. This is an unexpected honor…we don't see you down here often."

"True, but I go where I'm needed, just like you."

The oriental man gestured to the chairs at his table.

"Sit down, Danny – and introduce me to your beautiful friend."

"Rhea, this is Tommy Phan, originally Phan Toung from Vietnam. He's the kind of person who knows everybody in town, and in his spare time he's a…well, is 'hedge wizard' an offensive term these days, Tommy?"

Tommy smiled. "Not at all. My great honor, Miss Rhea." He got up and made a small bowing gesture – then he took Rhea's hand and gave it a brief kiss. Rhea felt flattered enough by the gesture that she rewarded him with a smile.

"So what brings you down here to the Snake?" Tommy asked.

"We're looking for someone who knows about people with…extraordinary abilities."

Tommy took a sip of his drink. "Extraordinary? Well, then this is the place, as you know. Anything in particular?"

"Someone who can get into a closed room without getting detected and circumvent hard security."

"Is Ed Deline planning insurance fraud?"

"That's privileged information, Tommy. I'm sure you understand."

"Sure I do. And it happens to be that I know of a person that might be what you are looking for."

Rhea leaned forward and smiled seductively at Tommy.

"And…is this person someone you can get a hold of?"

"That might depend on the motivation, Miss Rhea. People with that kind of skills tend to be notoriously shy. What do you need him for?"

Danny exchanged a look with Rhea, mostly for show. Then he lowered his voice as much as he could in the loud bar.

"Yesterday, someone broke into the Montecito. Someone with exceptional skills. We're trying to find him."

"Danny…that sounds like the exact opposite than the kind of service I normally provide. I could risk my reputation in telling you something like that. Why would I do something like that?"

Danny was about to answer when Rhea with soft voice interrupted him.

"Because Ed Deline would very much like to know who broke into his hotel. And you know how he can show his gratitude…or his displeasure…"

Rhea reached her hand out and pointed to Tommy's glass. She smiled sweetly – and then, the glass shattered into dust between Tommy's fingers.

Tommy's smile vanished, and he took a gasping breath. Then he looked at Rhea, his eyes watchful.

"What do you want to know?"

"Name and address."

"I can't give you any address, but the name I heard was Paul Crane. He came to town 3 days ago, and as far as I heard he is still around. But I can't tell you where he is, Danny. You have to understand my position."

Danny got up and put his hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"I understand, and I'm sure Ed Deline will understand, too. I'm sure he will be grateful."

Rhea got up, and nodded to Tommy. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Phan. It was nice to meet you."

When they sat in Danny's car, Danny turned his head and looked at Rhea.

"What the hell was that?"

"Telekinesis. I can do a lot more than that, but it seemed rather indiscreet to tear down the walls around him."

She smiled, and Danny shook his head and started the car.

"Las Vegas…the strangest people come here…."

Quinn and Andrew looked over the shoulder of Mike, as he scrolled through several camera shots from the Luxor hotel's cameras.

"I still don't understand why you didn't install exterior cameras since the last time we were here" Andrew said.

"We tried, but there was no money for them in the budget. We go through about 500 cameras a year, so installing new ones wasn't exactly a top priority."

"But then, this is just as good?" Quinn asked and pointed to the Luxor clips.

"Not exactly, but it might work. The Luxor has a reflective surface, like the Montecito – and if their cameras can catch a reflection on OUR surface of a reflection on THEIR façade…."

"That sounds like it's going to be a very blurry image at best." Quinn sat down in the office chair, and focused on the screen.

"You would be surprised at how well our computers can enhance the image" Mike said, and pushed the buttons with a smile. "I've seen the computer enhance the shot from the topless pool area so much that you can count the hairs on…um…"

Mike looked up and saw Ed stand next to the terminals with a coffee cup in his hand.

"Mike, I'm sure that you guys are doing great work, but…"

Mike nodded, and looked even more intently at his video files. Suddenly, he froze the image and pointed.

"There!"

He enlarged the picture, and began running it through filters. As Andrew and Quinn waited, the image slowly cleared up.

The picture showed Sonderman on his back on the bed, clearly in great agony. Next to him, one arm outstretched over him stood a person in a black jumpsuit. The posture looked relaxed, almost casual.

"That's it!" Andrew said, and Quinn nodded.

"But…what the hell is this guy doing?"

Andrew rubbed his chin. "If I should take a guess, the killer is using telekinesis. Blocking Mr. Sonderman's air intake with mental power."

"But how did this guy get in and out?" Quinn said.

"Let's see if we can't run the film a little more…" Mike said and the image began flickering in frame by frame playback.

Sonderman thrashed on the bed for a while, and then lay still. The person in black – the image was not clear enough to see weather it was a man or a woman – slowly walked to the head of the bed and bent over him. The back was turned towards the camera.

"He's putting the poker chip in his mouth" Mike said.

Then, the black clad person straightened up and then…vanished. Mike reversed the playback, but it was obvious: The killer vanished between two pictures – which meant it was instantaneous.

"He teleports out" Quinn said.

"Yes…" Andrew said and rubbed again his chin, "But we might have the wrong pronoun."

"What do you mean?" Mike said.

"I mean that we might have brought the killer with us. Rhea used to wear a jumpsuit like that when we saw her the first time – and she teleports."

Quinn looked up. "You're not saying…?"

"Yes I am. But don't tell anyone. This could be a big problem. Jim likes this girl, a lot. And I think he would flip if we accused her of murder."

Mercedes and Feline had been installed in the large suites the Montecito saved for its special VIP's, and then headed towards the casino floor.

Mercedes led the way, still remembering the way from her brief but interesting job as a casino host. Feline looked with wondering eyes at all the slot machines and the large crowds surrounding the craps and blackjack tables. This was her first trip outside San Francisco, and it seemed like this world was so much different than what she was used to.

Next to a blackjack table the girls found Sam Marquez, who was busy cheering one of her players on. She turned when Mercedes called her, and brightened in a big smile.

"Hey, girl! Danny told me that Ed had called you guys in. How are you?"

"We're fine, but there wasn't really anything we could do with the investigation. So I'm going to show Feline a bit of the city."

Feline smiled at the short girl, who shook her hand. "You're a new employee? I'm Sam, I'm a casino host. If you guys need anything, you let me know, okay. Now, I'd love to talk, but…"she gestured to the man at the blackjack table, "…I kind of need to stay by this guy. You know…some men are so helpless."

She turned away, but suddenly remembered something. "You guys should go to Mystique and have some lunch before you head out. Tell Delinda I sent you."

The girls headed for the large door with the MYSTIQUE sign over it. It was still early, so there was no line and the door was open. Inside, about 20 people were eating lunch, under the watchful eye of Delinda Deline.

At the last visit, Delinda had been out of town, so Mercedes had never met her before. When the tall blond girl approached their table, Mercedes smiled at her and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. The aura of femininity and sex that Delinda radiated made Mercedes feel unfeminine by comparison. This had no effect on Feline, however, who smiled and said in a chipper voice:

"Hi Delinda. Sam sent us."

Delinda smiled and nodded. "Okay…well, she sends a lot of people…what can I do for you?"

"Well…we work for Mr. Deline" Mercedes said, "We are here with Tempus."

"What's tempus?" Delinda answered. "Do you guys want a menu or what?"

"Yes, we would…and Tempus is this detective agency that…."

Suddenly, Delinda's face lit up.

"Oh...now I know who you guys are. You're those guys that are here to solve that big murder, right?"

Mercedes looked at her, amazed at the indiscretion.

"Yeah…that's us…no, I just…wanted to say hi to you…we didn't meet last time, and I was such good friends with Sam and Mary…."

"Sure, sure…you know, I'm kind of busy, so…here's the menu and you guys just have whatever, okay? On the house."

Delinda walked away, and Feline looked surprised at Mercedes.

"She was weird."

"Tell me about it. I thought they were all so nice in this place."

"Well", a voice behind their backs said, "We can be. If given the chance."

The girls turned their heads and saw a man in a blue suit wiping his mouth with a napkin. He was sitting two tables away from them.

"I could not help but overhearing what you talked with Delinda about. I'm sorry, she can be a bit crude sometimes, but when you have her alone she's nice enough."

"I'm sure she is" Mercedes said, "Do you work here too?"

"Normally, yeah, in the security division. I'm off duty now.

"Well, we just got here to work on this big case, but Jim didn't think we were needed right away. So we're kind of off duty as well."

The man smiled. "Really? Well – how come you weren't needed?"

"Because we're not super crime fighters like them. At least, they don't think we are. I'm sure that if we got the chance, we could find the killer ourselves."

"I'm sure you could. Well, would you lovely ladies allow me to join you for lunch – and then maybe show you a few sights in Vegas that are off the normal tourist routes?"

Feline smiled. "Gladly, Mr….?"

The man smiled again, took his glass and sat down at their table. He was a pleasant looking man with short black hair and a engaging smile.

"My name is Crane. Paul Crane."

3.

Danny pulled into the Montecito's parking lot and stopped the car.

"We'd better tell Ed right away about this Paul Crane. Maybe we can find him in the hotel registries.

Rhea shook her head. "We can tell him, but if this Crane is worth his salt – and it looks like he is – he wouldn't check in under his own name.

"Unless, like you said, he thinks he is invulnerable. If he thinks he committed the perfect crime he might do it to prove it to himself.

"It's possible. Anyway, it doesn't hurt to tell the boss what we know. Although I don't know if we should tell it to Jim or Ed first."

"A word of advice: When Ed is involved, tell him first. He doesn't like to be number two."

Rhea smiled.

"Check. Got it. You know, you're all right, Danny."

"Thanks. So, tell me, since I was so open – what's with you and Jim?"

He got out, and stopped when he saw that Rhea didn't follow him. He looked back at her. "You okay?"

"Yes. It's just…that's a very complicated question to answer, Danny. Mostly because I don't really know myself."

"Well…to someone with…how did you put it…a good portion of psychology…it seems like he likes you a lot."

"Oh, I know he does. And in a lot of ways, I like him, too. He's…well, he's a very good man, Danny. And he has been for a while. I am not sure how to relate to a guy who is older than my grandfather."

"Well, at least his musical tastes aren't like your grandfather. I saw him with Brittney last year…it was like seeing one of those Beatles-girls back in the sixties…"

"I know. Sometimes…I feel like he is this knight in shining amour that has come to rescue me. And then, I look down at myself and see all this black ashes clinging to me…"

"I trust you're not being literal?"

"No. I just…I did a lot of bad things in my life. Your friend up in the surveillance room only knows about a tenth of it. I haven't been one of the good guys for a very long time, and…I just don't know if we'd fit together. Am I making any sense?"

Rhea looked up at Danny, feeling slightly strange that she was opening up this much to a man who was, after all, a perfect stranger. But it felt right, somehow. She remembered her mother had once told her that there were things you could only tell a stranger. And maybe, this was one of those things.

Danny squatted down next to the car and put his hand on her arm. He looked her in the eyes, and suddenly every hint of a smile was gone from his eyes.

"I was recalled into active marine duty a year ago. I was sent on a super-secret mission, which I can't tell you about. Suffice to say, I had to make a call at one point. Call in an air strike, complete the mission – and maybe kill every man in my platoon, myself included – or run away and ruin something that could cost even more lives. So I chose the air strike. I was the only survivor. It tore me up inside – for weeks I didn't sleep, because every time I closed my eyes…I would hear the voices of my dying men. But my friends helped me come to terms with it, and I moved on. I feel a lot better now. I'm not saying I'll ever feel good about what I did, but I can live with it. It's not what you have done that defines you, Rhea – it's what you have inside, in your heart. It's what you chose to do with your life. And who you chose to do it with."

Rhea smiled.

"This is something you thought a lot about, huh?"

"I practiced that speech in front of the mirror, yeah. No, actually, you're only the second person to know this, so keep it to yourself."

"Of course. And in the end, I suppose you and I have about the same problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"You think you're not good enough to date Mr. Deline's daughter."

Danny thought about it, and the smile returned to his eyes and face.

"You're right."

Rhea shook her head, as if to clear it, and stepped out of the car.

"Now, let's end this emotional session, and get up to your boss. I think he probably would like to know the name of the guy who killed his guest."

Jim stood on the balcony, smoking a cigarette, when Cat opened the door and came out. She closed the door behind her, and looked through the glass at Herbert. He sat in the couch of the living room, and had pulled out a blue glass sphere, that Jim recognized as the crystal ball they had brought home from Greenland. Herbert stared intently into it, holding it in his lap with both hands.

"You know…that thing gives me the creeps" Cat said, pointing to the crystal ball. "It seemed to lower the temperature with 20 degrees when he pulled that thing out of his bag. And this place has the best air-condition in town."

"It used to belong to his master, I think – the guy who taught him. He can use it to scrye, I think, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes it shows him some totally strange things – like things from 100 years ago. But if he puts his mind to it, maybe he can see what happened in the room."

"It feels evil. I think I'll wait out here while here he finishes."

Cat crossed her arms, as if a shiver ran up her spine.

Jim blew out the smoke, and stared out over the Strip, that glittered in the afternoon sunlight.

"So…what do you think?" Cat asked.

"I think there's no doubt the Dealer is behind it somehow. The Tarot card proves that. And I think he probably did it because something Sonderman did pissed him off. But weather it's the charity or winning big, I don't know. How long has Sonderman been in Vegas this time?"

"2 days. Why?"

"Can you get a list of all the people he played against? One of those people might be his killer. Or the Dealer himself."

"I'm on it."

Cat picked up her cell phone and called the surveillance room. She told the person on the other end what she needed and then flicked the phone shut.

"It will be ready in half an hour. So, speaking of evil – what's with you and this woman in black?"

Jim turned and faced her.

"Is it that obvious? I thought you never saw her before…"

"I haven't. But I see her now, and Mercedes has told me a few things when we speak on the phone. Besides, I worked for Interpol, Jim. I can read people's body language. So what's the deal?"

"I…I don't know WHAT the deal is, Cat" Jim answered and turned again, looking at the Strip, "I've known her for a few months now. I've had her to dinner…and we ended up talking business. And with business, I mean saving her mother and brothers! It seems like we barely have the time to get to know each other. I know next to nothing about her, except what I know from all those files I read on her. I know all about the abuse she went through by the vampire doctors – but I have no clue what her favorite color is, or what she likes for breakfast."

"I'd say that black is a pretty good guess to her favorite color!" Cat said dryly, but Jim continued:

"And still, every time I look at her, it's like…it's like my heart beats faster, and my hands just wants to move towards her and hold her. I haven't felt like this since…well, let's just say for more years than most of you guys have lived, with the exception of Murph…I was married once, and I loved her…but this is different. It's like…you ever have a crush on a teacher in school, or the boy next door?"

"Sure."

"Like that – the kind of crush where you can feel life pulsing in every pore of your skin just because she exists."

"That's…great, Jim. And she feels this way about you, too?"

"That's just what I don't know! She doesn't really give me any signs that she does…but…she sent me a birthday card and said she was thinking of me. She looks at me sometimes…I guess…I hope she does…I just don't really know how to get close to her."

Cat walked closer to Jim, so they both stood at the balcony railing.

"I think you might just give it time. It's something you have lots of, after all. Right?"

"I suppose…"

"I think you should let things grow. If you rush into anything…I don't know…I was afraid for a while that I screwed up everything with Danny..."

"You and Danny are…?"

"No. Not…anymore…or maybe 'not right now' is a better word, I don't know. We had a thing…and then I found out about Ed being my father…and it just kind of complicated matters. Delinda says I should just move on, but I think she might have a thing for Danny herself."

"Are you…in love with him?" Jim turned his head and looked at Cat's profile.

"I think…yes, I am. I am in love with Danny. Really, totally smitten with him." She sighed. "Me and every woman in this friggin' hotel! Mary, Delinda, even Sam I think…and that chick in the Sports Book…"

Jim could not help it. He laughed. "Popular man, Mr. McCoy. It must be the rough marine look."

"But the big problem is that there's really nothing I can do about it right now. Not with Ed watching over me like a hawk. I'm the prodigal daughter…he protects me like I was Mary's Little Lost Lamb. And Danny is the son he never had…so in a weird way we're already related."

She tried to smile, but it was obvious that there were other things than humor behind her face.

"It's not that I'm not grateful for having found a family – MY family – again after all these years. It's just that…you know, it would have been nice if the most attractive guy I've met in…well, forever…wasn't working for my dad."

Jim smiled.

"Are you aware that your British accent is wearing thinner? You're beginning to sound positively American."

"I've heard it, yes. But I try to keep it in check. Scones, bollocks, trousers, wanker. There, all better."

"I understand your, Cat. So…what are you going to do about Danny? If you don't mind my asking?"

"Same as you. Wait for an opportunity. Sooner or later something will present itself."

"Just one question, though. Is Danny also waiting, or has he…um…moved on?"

"I'd hope he hadn't! Why?"

"Well, because right now he's out there with Rhea, who is one hell of an attractive woman, in a city that prides itself on temptations…"  
"Jim, are you jealous?"

Jim drew a final breath on the cigarette, and then crushed it under his shoe.

"Yes."

Kat inhaled deeply.

"Good. So am I."

Herbert looked deeply into the blue crystal ball, focusing his mental energy on making it show him what had happened in this room in the hours after midnight. He tried to part the mist inside it with the power of the mind. Slowly, an image became clearer. It came into focus and Herbert held the ball close to his eyes to see every detail.

The image showed a man in pajamas, sitting on the edge of the bed in the bedroom. He was eating from a plate, and had just put down his glass when there was a brief shimmer in the air at the foot of the bed. Suddenly, a man stood there – he was dressed in a black jumpsuit, had short black hair and a pleasant face. He held out his hands, as if to show that he meant no harm. Sonderman, who was the man seated on the bed, got up and put the plate down quickly. The ball could not bring any sound, but it looked like Sonderman was asking the newcomer questions. Herbert guessed they were probably "Who are you and what are you doing here?". The newcomer took one hand down, so he only held one hand out, palm down in a slight diagonal position. Then, Sonderman seemed to have trouble breathing. He stumbled, knocking a pile of clothes over and hitting a desk so several small trinkets were knocked over. The intruder pointed his hand at him again, and suddenly, Sonderman began floating upwards, turning in mid-air until he was lying horizontally. He floated to the bed, still apparently struggling to breathe, and was dropped into the pillows. After a few more seconds of thrashing, he lay still. The newcomer lowered his hand, looked casually at the dead man, and then walked up to the head of the bed, pulling something out of a small pocket. He put the item under Sonderman's tongue, and reached over to close Sonderman's hand around the little golden cross. Then, he nodded, as if he was very pleased with himself, and vanished. Teleported, Herbert thought. Whatever this guy was, he had a little too much in common with Rhea.

The mist again covered the image in the ball, but Herbert didn't care. He put it back in his shoulder bag, got up and went for the balcony door.

Jim, Herbert and Cat returned to the surveillance room at the exact time Rhea and Danny sat down in front of Ed's desk.

"We got a name…" Danny began, when Quinn and Andrew knocked on the doorframe.

"And we've got a partial picture." Quinn said, holding out a print from the monitor.

"This guy is apparently called Paul Crane, and has been staying in town for a couple of days. It's probably like Rhea said earlier – he wants to hang around, get a feel for the place, commit the crime and then hang around to watch people struggle to solve it."

"But this time he didn't take the Montecito's finest into account" Mike said, coming up behind them. "We've got a 3/4 profile, and that's enough that the computer can calculate his most probable facial features. We've got it running the program now."

Herbert, who walked in on the last words nodded. "And if the computer is wrong, I can tell you. I saw an image of him in my…my crystal ball."

"You've got a crystal ball?" Mike asked.

"Yes. A small one."

Ed looked at all the people in his office, all busting with info and starting to talk over each other. He held up his hand.

"All right, quiet! Combine what you've got – the computer pic, Herbert's magic ball and the name – call the other casinos, ask if they've got a Paul Crane listed. When you have his face, run a video IQ and forward it to all the other casinos up and down the Strip. We're going to nail this bastard before he knows what hit him."

"That might be difficult", Cat said, "According to Herbert, he teleported into the suite. What's to stop him from just…beaming away, if we corner him?"

Rhea cleared her throat. "Speaking as a teleporter, it's not the easiest thing in the world. Jumps that are longer than a few meters can be very exhausting. If this guy really can teleport, I'm willing to bet he won't go far. Do you have an external satellite dish in this place?"

"Sure, on the roof" Danny said.

"I can tell you how to pinpoint a Psionic emission, to let you know where he jumps to if its in range of your sensors. Then, we can just follow him."

"Okay, you work with Mike on that. " Ed rubbed his face. "Keep me posted.

"Anyone know where Mercedes and Feline went?" Cat asked Andrew.

"To their suite, and then out, I guess. We'll give them a call when we need them. And Father Christopher is working with Mary, although apparently he refused to wear an Elvis suit for the ceremony."

Rhea went with Mike to the computer, while Danny, Cat, Andrew and Quinn went to the other terminal to work on the visual images. Herbert sat down in one of the office chairs – he felt exhausted. Using the crystal ball always made him feel drained.

"We've got no Cranes registered in any of the other hotels", Danny said, hanging up the phone. "If he is still in Vegas he is either under a different name or has other means of accommodation."

Mitch, who had been working on the computer 3-d image, now turned his head to face them. "It's all done. We've got a full face on the guy."

Danny, Jim, Andrew and Quinn looked at the screen, where the face of a non descript young man smiled at them.

"Herbert – is this the guy you saw?" Andrew asked.

Herbert got up and walked to their screen, bending down to see better.

"It's him, all right. His eyes were further apart, just a little. And his chin had a split in it…a cleft."

Mitch punched a few keys. "There…better?"

"That's him."

"All right", Danny said," I'm punching in a video IQ on the guy now. Mitch, forward this to the rest of the Strip. I want to know where this guy is."

The computer made a flat beeping sound, and Mitch looked startled. Then, he punched a key and an image came up.

"You don't have to look for long, Danny. He's here."

The image had caught the man at a table in what Danny could see was a corner in Mystique. Crane was leaning over the table, in deep conversation with two women. And when he recognized the women, Danny moaned.

"Jim, Herbert – you guys…take a look at who he is with!"

Herbert's jaw dropped as he looked at the screen.

"Mercedes….and Feline!"

"Is this live?" Jim asked, already on the move towards Mystique. Andrew and Herbert were only a step behind him.

"It's a 2 hour old footage!" Danny sighed. "Whatever happened is long gone. Mitch, follow him, see where he goes…and where he takes them!"

4.

Mercedes opened her eyes, and saw only darkness. She felt a throbbing pain in her forehead, but as she tried to lift her hand to touch it, she found that her wrists were held together with something. She moved slightly, feeling a soft surface under her, and tried to raise both hands, when a voice spoke to her from the darkness.

"So…you're awake? I was beginning to think you two would sleep the day away."

"What…what happened? What is going on?" Mercedes asked, her voice shaking ever so slightly. Next to her, she felt movement as if another body moved.

"I'm sorry to treat you two this way", the voice said from the darkness. Mercedes knew it was not the man speaking who was next to her – his voice seemed to be a few meters away. She expected it was Feline.

"I had to slip a little something into your drinks. It is a quite harmless tranquilizer, and you will be fine in a couple of hours. Until then you will feel slightly light-headed.

"And blind?" Mercedes asked.

"No. The darkness is simply a measure of convenience on my part. I need to find out what to do with you ladies, and for that purpose, I need to talk to my superior. And that works best in darkness."

"Who are you? Are you the guy who killed the man in the Montecito?"

"I'm afraid so, yes. But I assure you, I have nothing personally against you two. My superior might have, but…we will see. Please be quiet, while I have my conversation – the Dealer is not much for interruptions."

Mercedes wiggled and pushed against the body next to her. She was rewarded with a groan and Feline's voice sleepily mumbling:

"Letmezzleep……"

"Feline!" Mercedes whispered and pushed against her friend again, when a small white light flickered a few meters away. It illuminated the dark room that Mercedes could now see was a living room of some sort. She and Feline was sitting on a couch that looked both old and much used. The room had the indefinable air of a rented house about it – the colors were too different and the furniture mismatched.

Leaning against a desk stood the man they had had lunch with – Paul Crane. Instead of the blue suit he had worn, though, he was now wearing a black formfitting jumpsuit similar to the one Rhea had worn when she worked as a thief. He was holding something in his right hand, which glowed with a hazy white light. Mercedes squeezed her eyes and saw that it was a small crystal or diamond. It rose slowly from his palm and hung in midair, turning around its own axis.

"Master", the man in black said, "This is Cronos calling. Please respond."

Then, from the crystal, came a voice that reminded Mercedes of when she had watched the movie "the 10 commandments" as a little girl. In that movie, the voice of God had been played by hundreds of people, male and female, creating a strange harmony of voices. The voice she heard now had the same quality, and she could not make out if it was male or female. It was a pleasant voice, though – not at all what she had imagined the Dealer's voice to be like.

"I hear you, Cronos" it said, "What do you have to report?"

"Master, I have encountered…difficulty in Las Vegas. It seems Deline called in his old friends. The people from the Tempus agency."

"I know. I have seen it in the cards. What is your problem?"

"I have managed to elude them, but I think they are on my trail. I have captured two of their people – Mercedes Perez and Feline Swarovski. I have them here now. What do you wish to do with them, Master?"

There was a moment of silence. Then, the crystal spoke again.

"Kill them."

"Yes…I should say that they have done nothing personally, master. Corrigan sent them away – they had no involvement in this affair."

"They became involved when they crossed paths with me in Moonlight Cove. Their death will bring sorrow to Corrigan and his friends. It will bring them despair and be a lesson to them never again to interfere in the game. Kill them, make sure they suffer and that their friends find them. Then return to your station in Olympus and wait for my commands."

Cronos nodded.  
"I hear and obey, my master. Glory to you and to the new world."

"Proceed as planned. End."

The crystal went dark. There was a flick of a light switch, and the room was bathed in a normal illumination from a ceiling lamp.

Cronos put the crystal in his pocket, and looked at Mercedes. Mercedes looked back, trying to seem confident despite of what she had heard.

"I really am sorry", Cronos said, as he crossed the room holding a small bag he had lifted from the desk. "Torture is not really my thing – I am much more of a hands-on man. So, I'll give you a choice. I can either cut you into tiny pieces, or abuse you in various ways before killing you. I'm not sure which would be more hurtful to your friends, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. I would offer to kill you quickly, but…" He spread his hands in a gesture that conveyed that the choice was not up to him.

"I think…I need some time to think about that…" Mercedes said, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

"I'm afraid you're pretty much out of time. I had planned to spend my vacation here, but it seems like it was cut short. So we don't have much time."

He leaned over her, and held his hand out over her wrists, palm down. She could now see that what had held her hands locked together was a plastic strip, and as she watched it unwrapped itself and slid off her. Cronos picked it up and stuck it in a pocket of his suit.

"Now…we can go in the bedroom, if you prefer not to do it in front of your friend here…" He said, his eyes glinting with a look that did not match his pleasant voice.

Mercedes moved like lightning. She pushed her heels against the couch, and jumped up from the couch, using every muscle in her body to push UP, to hurt the bastard that threatened her. She hit him in the chest and he staggered back, still holding out his hand against her. She raised her leg to kick him, like she had kicked the Tupilaq in Greenland…

…and froze in mid-air. She hung, a few inches off the ground, and could not move her body at all. It felt as if the air around her had stiffened into glass.

"There" Cronos said, his voice not sounding so confident anymore, "please hang there for a moment."

He straightened his jumpsuit and looked at her. She tried to move, but found she could not move any of her muscles.

"Telekinesis is a wonderful thing, Mercedes" Cronos said, "I'm right now holding you absolutely stationary. I could make you do anything I wanted…put you in any position that I wanted…and the worst you could do to me was glare at me…and I could even just close your eyes…"

He chuckled. "I guess it doesn't matter with the bedroom. The floor is comfortable enough for…what the…?"

The surprise in Cronos' voice came when Feline, who had until that second sat motionless in the couch, suddenly morphed into her cat form, which looked like a large lynx. She snarled, and in a heartbeat, she was at his leg, her teeth sinking into his shin.

Cronos screamed, and Mercedes felt the grip on her body give slightly. She tried to make a fist, and found she could.

Feline bit snarling into the lag, shaking it. Cronos staggered, as he tried to get free of the cat – then, he raised his other arm and caught Feline in a grip that froze her like Mercedes. With what seemed like considerable relief, he floated them up next to each other, so the hovered side by side over the couch.

"Bad…kitty…" he gasped, looking down at his leg. "I hope you've had all your shots. I wasn't prepared for that! None of my files on you indicate a shape shifter!"

"I guess…your files…are outdated…" Mercedes managed to mumble.

"I suppose so. But now, let's see what…"

Cronos turned his head and looked up, as if listening. Then, an explosion filled the room, as the wall was blown in. Cronos staggered, and as splinters of glass and bricks flew through the air, Mercedes was suddenly glad of the Psionic shield that covered her and Feline. A hole the size of a truck filled almost the entire wall, and sunlight poured in through the dust, forming a mist.

Out of the dust, a shadow came into view. As the shadow stepped closedr a sparkle formed around it's right hand, and when Herbert's voice sounded, Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief.

"Get away from her!"

Cronos brushed his one hand down his black suit, brushing some of the dust off.

"Mr. Schmidt…so soon? However did you find me?"

"Wasn't hard, the moment you started using your powers" Jim said, coming up behind Herbert, "The Montecito can tune in on you now, and pinpoint you to within 2 meters."

Cronos wrinkled his forehead. "How? You had no way of locking onto my powers. They're unique!"

"Not quite as unique as you think" Another voice sounded. Behind Herbert and Jim, Rhea appeared. She had changed into the black jumpsuit, and looked for all the world like a mirror image of Cronos.

"You!" Cronos gasped, and then, his face broadened in a smile, "You – my promised bride! Imagine finding you here! What are the odds?"

"This is Vegas" Jim said, raising his sword, "It's all about beating the odds."

"Excellent" Cronos said, gesturing towards Mercedes and Feline, "let me just dispatch with these two, and we can depart to Olympus. The Master awaits our return."

Rhea smiled and titled her head. "First, I don't really like the term master. Second, you're not going to hurt these girls. And third, if you think I'm going anywhere with you, you're even crazier than the guy who wanted me to steal Dan Brown's gravity boots!"

Rhea lifted her hand, and suddenly, Mercedes and Feline began to shake back and forth, as if pulled both ways at the same time. Cronos' face tightened, as if he was straining. Then, with a rush of air, Mercedes and Feline flew towards the hole in the wall. Herbert reached up and grabbed Mercedes in his arms, while Jim in one fluid motion swung his sword to the side and grabbed Feline with the other hand. Feline jumped to the ground and morphed back into human form, pointing to Cronos.

"This guy works for the Dealer and he talks to him in a crystal. Dealer said he should kill us and make us suffer to hurt you guys. And he's called Cronos."

Rhea smiled.

"Cronos…how amusing. I suppose the Dealer decided to have a little fun on my account? Cronos, Rhea's husband in the myth of the Titans?"

"You have no idea…you and I was to sire a new race, just like in the myth…but just like the myth, you have turned against me, rejected your true origin."

"My true origin?" Rhea spat, "I was made to suffer for years, being drained of my blood and being tormented by sick fucks like you. Call that a true origin. The Dealer had absolutely nothing to do with what I am! "

"Maybe so, but you have a lot to do with this…" Cronos gestured to the ruined living room in an all-encompassing gesture. "Without you, there could have been no plan. I would not have been. All that I am is because of you, Rhea…your blood gave me my strength. So, in a sense, you are not only Rhea but Gaia as well!"

An inarticulate scream came from Rhea's mouth, and with a sudden gesture, she thrust her arm out. The couch took flight and slammed into Cronos, knocking him down, but before he hit the ground he vanished with a faint whooshing sound.

"He's gone!" Jim said, jumping forward to Rhea, Are you oka…?"

He didn't get to finish. Rhea turned towards him, her face a mask of anger and hurt. "Where did he go? I need to know!"

Quinn, who had been staying out of range of the fight, came running with a cell phone. He handed it to Rhea.

"This is Danny. They've got him on their scopes."

Rhea grabbed the phone. "Danny – where is he? The Strip, by the Paris Casino. Good. Keep on him!"

Herbert, who had hugged Mercedes tight, now released her and looked at Rhea.

"What are you…"

He discovered he was talking to the air. Rhea had vanished.

Cronos appeared next to the Eiffel tower outside the Paris casino. His clothes were clean again, as he had simply not taken the dust with him as he teleported. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around, smiling. He still had a considerable success under his belt. He had performed the task the Master had sent him here to do, he had discovered that Rhea was not dead, as they had feared – two good things to report. He had not killed the girls, but he had gotten away. Now, it was only a matter of finding transportation out of the city, and…

"Cronos!"

The voice behind him made his blood freeze. It was cold, filled with hatred. He turned quickly, and saw Rhea standing only 5 meters away from him.

"You were made from my blood?" Rhea asked, her voice as cold as a frozen lake, "They made me suffer so they could create you?"

"And others like me…" he answered, taking a few steps back. He wasn't really frightened – he felt his powers would be no match for this girl – but it was best to take precautions.

"Others like you…bastards like you…from MY BLOOD!" Rhea's brow furrowed, and suddenly a large flowerpot tore loose from the pavement and flew at Cronos. He gestured and struck it aside, flinging it into the wall of the casino with a crashing sound.

"I'm going to make sure" Rhea continued, as she walked closedrin a slow, casual walk, "that you will never hurt anyone again. In fact, since you called me your mother before, I suppose you can consider this an abortion!"

Rhea gestured, and two empty cars parked along the strip flew into the air and flew at Cronos. With too little time to parry them, Cronos jumped to safety behind one of the Eiffel tower's massive legs. The cars slammed into the metal construction with tremendous force, making the entire tower rock back and forth. Cronos looked around, scanning the sidewalk for weapons. He reached his hands out and 5 manhole covers lifted out of the sidewalk. They hung for a moment in the air, and then flew at Rhea in one coordinated movement, like a swarm of bees.

Rhea threw up her telekinetic shield, and the lids bounced off it. They flew in several different directions, hitting cars and windows close by. People, who had been standing close to the two combatants curious as to what they did, now pulled back with concerned looks. No one ran, however. This was something new in Vegas, not to be missed.

Rhea smiled sweetly at Cronos, as she again began walking closer.

"Is that all you've got, big boy?" she asked.

Cronos smiled back.

"Just getting started."

He teleported. Rhea cursed and grabbed the phone at her hip. She flicked it open.

"Danny?"

The Forum shops in Caesar's Palace are Las Vegas' most exclusive place of shopping. Every store is carefully selected to be amongst the best and most luxurious in the city. And the shoppers who come there expect to have the ultimate experience.

This day, the experience was broken when a body was blasted through the main corridor, striking the glass window of the Gucci store. Cronos got to his feet, brushing off glass, and saw Rhea approaching. Immediately, all the mannequins in the store hurled themselves at Rhea, who parried them easily. Cronos stepped out of the broken window, to the astonished looks of the two store girls, and ran for the small open space where the Triton fountain stood, bubbling water.

Cronos stretched his powers out, feeling his mind cut through metal and concrete, and slowly, the fountain tore loose from the floor. Water sprayed everywhere from the broken pipes, and the people sitting at the café tables around it ran screaming away. The huge fountain hovered in midair, as Rhea rounded the corner.

"You've got to be joking!" she mumbled.

The fountain flew at her, and she raised both arms, using almost her full strength. The fountain veered off, smashing into a 3 floor Trojan horse that marked the entrance of KB toys. With the sound of metal grinding and wood splintering, the horse fell apart and smashed to the floor on top of the ruins of the fountain.

Cronos stood in the middle of the square, water streaming from many small rivers on the floor.

"This is foolish, Rhea" Cronos said, his voice not quite steady, "people get hurt. If you agree to end this, to go with me…nobody needs to get hurt."

The head of the Trojan horse flew out of the ruins and hit him squarely in the chest. With a slight scream, he was thrown to the ground.

"I think someone has to get hurt!" Rhea said, getting to her feet and coming towards him.

_Whoosh._

"Damn him!" Rhea hissed, and again grabbed for her phone.

At first, Rhea felt a slight sense of disorientation when she materialized. Lights flashed, and it seemed like the ground under her rocked slightly.

Then, she looked around and saw she was in a small room, filled with people in seats. The room lurched wildly, and a voice she seemed to recognize sounded.

"_Wow, Data, watch out for those graviton emissions!"_

She turned her head and looked at some sort of screen, displaying what looked like a spaceflight – and understood. The Hilton, Danny had said. The home of the Star Trek experience. She was in a simulator ride. The voice belonged to Geordie La Forge.

On the other side of the room, she saw Cronos struggle with a door. She reached out her hand, oblivious to the 30 or so people in the simulator, and grabbed hold of him, lifting him up in the air with her telekinesis.

"Wow…zero-G effects!" a boy shouted and pointed at Cronos, now suspended in mid-air.

Cronos made a gesture, and Rhea suddenly lost balance as the simulator began rocking violently back and forth. This was not part of the ride – Cronos must have gotten into the machine that operated the hydraulics.

People screamed as the simulator suddenly lurched and raised itself up to a standing position. Rhea grabbed hold of a seat, but still lost her balance and fell to the deck. She lost her grip on Cronos, and he rolled down along the seats.

"_Enterprise, this is shuttle Goddard. We're coming in. Do you read?"_ came the voice from the screen. Rhea struggled to find her footing, when the simulator was turned upside down, and struck the ground hard. She was dazed, and saw Cronos teleport out only through a haze. She propped herself up and got to her cell phone.

"Danny…don't ask! Where is he?"

The first thing she saw was a metallic, high-domed ceiling, and the glowing forms of neon signs. She recognized the place – Freemont Street. The oldest Las Vegas street, where all the old neon signs now hung up for display.

Cronos stood about 10 meters away, his arms up stretched towards the ceiling.

"Lots of people here, Rhea. You care about people, I can tell. It must be Corrigan and his hero-friends rubbing off on you. You should embrace your destiny and be with us, in stead."

Rhea shook her head.

"If my destiny is being like you, I'd rather be dead. Which pretty soon, you will be! And as for the people – protecting them from you is my goal right now. And that is best done by making sure you never hurt anyone again!"

Cronos laughed. "You know…my new name is not just for show. Cronos ruled the earth…and I can too. Watch this!"

Rhea felt the street shake under her feet, and staggered. Cronos laughed, as the cobble stones started to rip loose from the ground and flew at her like missiles. She blocked them, but more kept coming, more and more like a swarm. They surrounded her in a funnel of rocks, pounding her relentlessly from all sides. She closed her eyes, focused her thoughts…

Suddenly, the stones flew back like an invisible hand had swept them all up. They landed in a neat pile on the ground. Rhea opened her eyes again and looked at Cronos.

"We have the same powers, Cronos. You're made from my strength. But I have an advantage over you. My powers were a natural part of me, where yours are artificially induced. My control is better. You can't beat me!"

"We'll see!" Crones said, and vanished.

The stench of animals hit her nose as she materialized. She only took one second to know where she was – the lion cage in the MGM hotel. And not one meter from her was a large male lion.

Before the animal could do much but growl, however, she had locked in a telekinetic hold and looked around for Cronos. She looked up and saw him leapfrogging out through the top of the cage.

She let the lion go and used her power to lift her up, helping her jump the wall with equal ease. Cronos ran through the casino, and she followed him at a quick pace.

Cronos ran, now a little bit less cocky. His teleportation power had a flaw that he had not been aware of before – jumps tired him out, if they were done too close to each other. He had never had the need for more than two jumps, and usually there were minutes, if not hours between them. Now, jumping up and down the Strip, he was beginning to feel tired. If he got tired, she would get him.

He ran past blackjack tables and past slot machines with cars parked on top. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he saw Rhea coming after him, running with apparently much more ease.

He gestured, and the tables were thrown together in a heap, blocking her way. Cars rolled off their ramps, taking flight and zooming towards her…

…and she blocked it all. What kind of devil was this woman? He was supposed to be Cronos. The first among the Titans! How could it be that she was stronger than him?

He kept running, piling tables and slot machines up behind him. The casino filled with the screams of pain and protest from the people who got caught under the tables, but he cared nothing for them. The Dealer's mission was all that mattered now. He had to get away, but he could not go back to Olympus if they could trace his every move. He needed a surprise. He needed to take care of Rhea first. Then Corrigan and the Montecito tracking system would be a piece of cake.

He thought of an idea. Concentrated. Teleported.

Rhea saw him vanish and sighed. Then she reached for the phone.

As she materialized, Rhea felt her feet become wet. She was standing in a pool of water next to the Strip, and Cronos only a few meters above her on some sort of rock outcropping.

"You can't run away from me forever, Cronos" she said, "I'll follow you anywhere. To hell and back."

"I assumed as much. That's why I brought you here. As close to hell as Vegas gets."

Rhea didn't understand him, but in the next second, she did.

She had only been to Las Vegas once before, and that had been on business. She had not had time to see much of the sights back then, but the volcano at the Mirage had been new and she had seen it. Every night, starting at 8, the volcano erupted on cue every 15 minutes with smoke, fake lava…and plenty of fire. She hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten, until now. Suddenly, there was fire all around her.

A roaring sound filled her ears as pillars of fire and steam shot up around her. In terror, she threw her shield up, holding the flames back. Then from behind her, Cronos jumped down from the rock and threw himself at her, grabbing her around the neck with his arm. He pressed his body against hers, and held her in an iron grip. His plan had worked – he was inside her shield and now he held onto her neck, blocking her windpipe. She gasped for air. Desperately she reached out with her powers. Palm trees were ripped up with their roots around them, but she could not loosen his grip.

"This is the end for you, Rhea!" Cronos hissed as he squeezed hard around her neck, "Imagine what our offspring would have been like if you had been cooperative."

"That's not exactly something to say on a first date!", a voice sounded from above them.

Cronos turned his head upwards, and saw Jim standing on the top of the top of the volcano. Cronos suddenly realized that it had stopped erupting around them.

"Get away, you…" he began, when a gunshot sounded and his arm suddenly became numb. His jumpsuit was metal lined and was bullet proof, but numbness still spread in his arm and he had to let go. He looked at the nearby footbridge, where Andrew stood, a rifle scope in front of his face.

"The next one will be your temple, buddy!" he shouted.

"Let her go, Cronos!" Jim said, casually circling his sword in one hand, "You have nowhere left to go. You're surrounded. And if you teleport out, she'll follow you." He jumped down and was now only a few meters from Cronos and Rhea.

Cronos thought for a split second. Then, he pushed Rhea away from him, into Jim's arms. Before anyone could react, he teleported. Andrew's bullet came just a split second too late.

Rhea gasped for breath, and Jim supported her.

"Jim…I gotta…follow him…"she panted, searching for her cell phone. It was gone. "He must have taken it!"

Jim reached for his own phone and dialed the surveillance room. He got no answer.

"Damn it!" he snapped, "He went back to the Montecito! Let's go!"

Jim jumped out of the fountain, and looked back at Rhea.

She was gone.

"Alright," he shouted, "Everybody back to the Montecito!"

Rhea materialized in Ed's office, just in time to see Cronos smash the last computer screen in the surveillance room. He turned around and looked at her, as she stood in the doorway. Next to her, she saw Ed on the floor, unconscious.

"You were kind enough to tell me that these people could trace me using electronics. Now, that is off line. I will give you one last chance. Come with me, Rhea. Take your place at my side, as the Dealer intended."

"No chance in hell."

"Fine. Then stay with your little friends. When the Dealer's cards are dealt, you will sorely regret not taking me up on my offer."

"We'll see about that, or if the Dealer will get his card-reading ass kicked."

"You were his emissary. You could be again."

"I'd rather eat my tarot cards - without salt."

"Very well. Farewell, then...till next time."

He vanished.

Rhea sighed deeply. Then, she turned around and knelt by Danny, who was stretched out on the floor. She patted his cheek, and he opened his eyes.

"What…the hell…?"

"Shh. It's over now."

5.

"I really am sorry that there is nothing more we can do, Ed."

Jim sat in Ed's office and drank from a coffee mug. Ed, who had a bandage around his head and still nursed a sore shoulder, shook his head carefully.

"I understand. You did the best you could. I mean…the city of Las Vegas is in ruins, it's going to cost millions of dollars getting everything fixed that those two kryptonians destroyed…but we solved the murder mystery. The computers will be up and running in 2 days, and until then We'll manage the old fashioned way. And Mr. Crane is a wanted man now – there's APB's out on him all over the country. We'll get him sooner or later."

"I have no doubt. Well – in that case, I suppose all that there is left, is for Vaughan to do your big wedding convention, and we will be out of here."

"Actually, the Montecito would like to offer you a small compensation for helping us…use of our suites of 4 days, a credit line, maybe a show ticket or two…?"

Jim smiled. "That would be great. We thank you. Now, should we go and look at the big ceremony?"

The grand hall of the Montecito looked like it had been covered in white. White silk, white garlands and white and crème colored pieces of fabric hung everywhere, and the huge room was full of people.

Father Christopher looked out over the more than 200 couples that stood before him, cleared his throat and began.

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today…all of us…to join…all of these men…and all of these women…in holy matrimony…"

He felt slightly nervous, but as the words began to flow, he felt calmer.

"…And so…I ask you…men…all of you…will you take the women by your side…as your lawfully wedded wives?"

"I DO!" the assembled crowd said in unison.

"Sounds like he's marrying Mormons" Delinda giggled to Cat in the back of the hall.

Cat shook her head at her sister. "You know, I think this is very sweet. People come all the way here expecting Elvis, and they get an honest to God Priest. Even one of the better ones. I think he's done us a great favor. I wouldn't mind having him marry me, if I…"

"If you…what? Delinda asked curiously.

"If I…ever find the right guy, you snoop!" Cat said and turned to listen to Christopher again.

Delinda took a few steps away, and was about to head for the buffet tables, when a hand grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Hey…Delinda, right?"

Delinda looked up. "Right. And you're Rhea, that super-chick?"

"Not so loud, okay? My secret identity is still secret. Listen, Danny told me that you have a genius IQ…and took mythology in college, right?"

"That's right.

"OK…what do you know about the Titans? I only know a bit connected to my own name, but…"

"Well…The titans…they were the parents of the olympic gods…Zeus and those guys. Cronos was the daddy and Rhea the mommy. And then there were 10 more. Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Theia, Coeus, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Themis, Crius and Lapetus. That's all I remember."

"I thought so. Thanks."

Rhea walked away, her face very serious. 10 more…what could they be. And what would a new race of Titans do…except do what the original had done: Slay their parents and take over the world.

Mercedes sniffed, and snuggled against Herbert's arm. He patted her gently on the back

"There, there…it's okay…"

"But it's so BEAUTIFUL…I always cry at weddings…except my cousin Jualinda since she was a total skank that had married 3 guys before."

"I see…well, it is a pretty ceremony. I'm glad we didn't miss it."

"You know…when we get married once…if we do…do you think Father Christopher would marry us too?"

"I'm sure he will, honey. I'm sure he will."

"So", Danny asked, as he left the wedding reception hall and headed back onto the floor, "what was it like to work with your old friends again? Here, I mean?"

"It was good" Cat replied, falling into pace with him, "I think I…said a few things I needed to say. It felt nice. I mean, don't get me wrong…I love it in Vegas, and I love you…guys…all of you…but sometimes it's nice to have your old friends around you."

Danny gave her a quick one-armed hug, and they headed down the middle aisle between the blackjack tables.

"I know exactly what you mean, Cat. Sometimes there are just things that need to be said."


End file.
